PRESS RELEASE
30 January 2026, 07:30 CET
Regulated information
WDP to propose new Board composition: combining family commitment and internationalization expertise underpinning European ambitions
WDP today announces four proposed appointments within its Board of Directors, reflecting both the commitment of the company's long-term reference shareholder, Family Jos De Pauw, and the strengthening of its international expertise and governance profile. This series of developments reinforce and support WDP's ambition to further build a leading European logistics real estate platform, under the newly launched growth plan, BLEND&EXTEND2030.
Reaffirming and reinforcing the family De Pauw's long-term commitment as reference shareholder In line with its consistent role as reference shareholder, the Jos De Pauw family has proposed the appointment of two next-generation representatives in the Board of Directors: Bernard Boel (pursuant to the family's binding nomination right) and Isabelle De Pauw, both as non-executive director.
Bernard Boel (1981, Belgium) is managing partner of companies active in waterborne transport, inland shipping and related terminal, transshipment and storage activities. He brings deep sector insights into multimodal flows and logistics operators, combined with an entrepreneurial mindset and a commercial engineering background. Bernard is to offer the Board a valuable perspective that supports WDP's long-term strategy and close partnership with clients. He is the son of the late Anne De Pauw, daughter of founder Jos De Pauw and sister of the late Tony De Pauw."
Isabelle De Pauw (1987, Belgium) brings practical experience in entrepreneurship and business development, backed by earlier sales and marketing experience. She is the founder of Paveau, active in the production and wholesale of high-end glassware. Her day-to-day leadership of a scaling organization and her strong commercial and client-oriented perspective, alongside a clear commitment to sustainable practices, will further reinforce WDP's position in sustainable logistics real estate. Isabelle is the daughter of the late Tony De Pauw.For us, as we prepare stepping into Tony's role is first and foremost a commitment to continuity. Building on more than two decades of consistent value creation, our family remains fully committed to supporting WDP, with confidence in the strength of its platform, in its long-term ambition and in #TeamWDP. This is a clear signal of our shared values and the continued trust our family places in the company.
Bernard Boel & Isabelle De Pauw
This transition follows the passing of Tony De Pauw (1954-2025), whose vision, values and entrepreneurial spirit shaped WDP throughout its evolution from a Belgian family business into a leading European logistics real estate business.
Strengthening international expertise and governance
As the mandates of Anne Leclercq and Cynthia Van Hulle conclude their final terms at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, WDP expresses its sincere appreciation for their dedicated service and valuable contributions over more than ten years.
In line with the company's ambition to become a core European platform, the Board of Directors proposes the appointment of two new independent and non-executive directors with strong international profiles: Barbara Bajorat and Gwenaëlle de la Raudière.
Barbara Bajorat (1976, Germany) is an international business executive with more than 20 years of operational and strategic leadership experience in major FMCG multinationals, including Mars and Diageo. After serving as Global Chief Customer Officer and General Manager at Mars, she is currently Managing Director EMEA for Champion Petfoods (Mars), where she is responsible for scaling up a recent acquisition, with strong focus on team build-up and market expansion. Barbara brings a strong commercial, execution-driven perspective, with expertise in business development, international expansion and operational effectiveness. Gwenaëlle de la Raudière (1969, France) has extensive expertise in finance, audit and governance within large, complex and highly regulated international listed groups. Over nearly three decades at Airbus, she held senior finance, controlling and leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and Head of Group Controlling, and contributed to investor relations, financial communications, M&A, corporate strategy and transformation. She currently serves as a non-executive director and audit & risk committee member of several AXA Insurance entities, as well as a non-executive director and chair of the audit & risk committee of Naval Group. Subject to appointment, Gwenaëlle would succeed Cynthia as chair of WDP's Audit Committee.With their respective German and French backgrounds, and their international experience, these candidates
would significantly strengthen the Board's international perspective.
Left to right: Barbara Bajorat, Isabelle De Pauw, Gwenaëlle de la Raudière, Bernard Boel
All proposed appointments have received a positive advice of WDP's Nomination Committee and approval by WDP's Board of Directors. They have been approved by the regulator, the FSMA, and will be submitted for approval to WDP's upcoming annual general meeting.
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My personal thanks go to Anne and Cynthia for their relentless commitment and the work they have delivered over many years. They have been instrumental to WDP's operational excellence and profitable growth.
I have full confidence in the steps taken forward within the Board. The nomination of Bernard and Isabelle anchors the family's role as reference shareholder and, at the same time, marks a new chapter for our organisation. With the nomination of Barbara and Gwenaëlle, on the other hand, we welcome highly experienced business leaders with strong international backgrounds. Their expertise will support us as we further expand our total solutions, for both existing and new clients, as a core European business.
More than ever, our recent strategic choices reflect long-term ambitions, sharpening our focus on the aspects of our business that will position us for the next decade.
Rik Vandenberghe - Chairman of the Board of Directors
More information
WDP NV/SA
Blakebergen 15
B-1861 Wolvertem www.wdp.eu
Joost Uwents - CEO
Mickael Van den Hauwe - CFO
Alexander Makar - Head of IR & Capital markets investorrelations@wdp.eu
WDP develops and invests in logistics real estate (warehouses and offices). WDP's property portfolio
comprises around 9 million m². This international portfolio of semi-industrial and logistics buildings is spread over 350 sites at prime logistics locations for storage and distribution in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Romania.
WDP NV/SA - BE-REIT (public regulated real estate company under Belgian law) Company number 0417.199.869 (RPR Brussels, Dutch-speaking section)
WDP is listed on Euronext Brussels (BEL 20) and Amsterdam (AEX) and is, among other things, part of the
European Real Estate Association (EPRA), MSCI, STOXX, and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).